Posts Tagged ‘los angeles’

The 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is shaping up to be a fine show with the announcement from the show organizers that there are just under 60 debuts (25 world debuts) scheduled. The show is still a ways off (Mid November) so nothing specific has been announced, but we do know that the Chevy Volt that was rumored to be debuting in LA will in fact be unveiled early next year in Detroit at the 2015 NAIAS.

You can expect the AMG GT to make an appearance, although the world debut will likely be a month earlier in Paris. Audi may bring the next generation R8 as well. Stay tuned as this will be another exciting auto show season. Our team will be in LA to bring you photos from the show as soon as the cars are unveiled.

It’s a car that looks like it was just unveiled by a manufacturer as their latest concept vehicle, one that would certainly never enter production. The BMW i8 has defied all reasoning and has not only entered production, but has been hitting the roads. Here, Chris Harris takes the i8 out for a rip on some canyon roads just outside of Los Angeles and shares his thoughts on how it drives. He also tested in a more conventional scenario taking the i8 through traffic and for a quick bite at In-N-Out.

To refresh, the BMW i8 is powered by a turbo-charged 1.5L 3-cylinder gasoline engine that pumps out 231 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. Decent, but definitely not what you want powering a sports car of any sort. Coupled to the front wheels is an electric motor that provides a further 131 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque for a combined total of 362 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. That’s more like it! The hybrid powerplant is capable of rocketing the i8 from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds thanks in part to its roughly 3200lb weight. Oh, and it does all this while only consuming just 2.5L / 100km.

For those of you who are looking forward to some hooning, remember that this was filmed on open public roads. Another note is the tire choice for this particular test. The BMW i8 is typically equipped with some narrow rubber (195 fronts and 215 rears) but this particular model that Chris Harris took out was equipped with the optional 215s up front and 245s in the rear.

Every year at the Los Angeles Auto Show there is a Design Challenge with a different theme chosen by the Design Los Angeles Board of Directors. Automotive design studios from around the world are invited to participate and this year studios from Germany, Japan and the USA will compete to design the Highway Patrol Vehicle of 2025.

This year’s Design Challenge asks automotive design studios to create a highway patrol vehicle that meets the challenges of a specific region’s transportation and societal conditions in 2025. The vehicle should empower highway patrol officers to meet new demands and effectively both “protect and serve” the public while considering not just enforcement needs but emission concerns, population growth and transportation infrastructure, among other trends.